Feline Fun Fact Friday - Big Cats and Climate Change

Climate change affects every species on earth including the big cats, mainly the tiger and the snow leopard (SLT The Threats, 2020; WWF Tiger, 2020). Climate change is affecting species with more frequent and intense drought, storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, deforestation, temperature changes, melting glaciers, warming oceans, wildfires and natural disasters (Duran, 2017; Struzik, 2020; WWF Threats, 2020). Climate change has already negatively impacted and harmed almost half of the endangered mammals around the world (Gruin, 2017). Deforestation accelerates climate change and puts species at greater risk of extinction (Duran, 2017). If climate change continues the way it is going over a third of the snow leopards habitat can become unsuitable for snow leopards (ICN Snow Leopard, 2020).

One study believes that climate change and human-caused mortality of carnivores is the most significant anthropogenic impact on nature (Inskip, et al., 2014; Ripple, et al., 2014). The good news is that we have the ability to change the way we are going. If we protect big cat habitat we are in turn protecting hundreds of other plant and animal species and maintaining forests and water areas that help mitigate climate change (SWT, 2020). You can help reduce climate change by using more environmentally friendly products, bike or walk instead of drive, watch your carbon footprint, reduce your water use, decrease your meat consumption, and by using renewable energy.

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Literature Cited:

Duran, L. (2017, July 19). 4 Ways climate change is making life harder for tigers. Conservation International. https://www.conservation.org/blog/4-ways-climate-change-is-making-life-harder-for-tigers

Gruin, B. (2017, February 16). New study proves climate change’s threat to endangered species. Earth Day. https://www.earthday.org/new-study-proves-climate-changes-threat-endangered-species/

Hoffman, H. (2014. February 22). (Tiger in snow) [Photograph] Flickr.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/helenehoffman/12739876444/in/photolist-S9X7cg-sigYft-pTfEkR-vzATkx-kpJJZt-Uo48tN-2dKCZ18-239vas3-26nka6D-267SYGw-CLBT7B-optVFA-udWKN9-wtSLvr-wuqaPV-kpM11L-onN4uA-tQ27XC-tSnrYR-oLZkPZ-kpKsg4-oTNyK5-oTN4n6-sWz5AQ-teQB49-tASFYN-tQv8hu-os1sA9-pbiq8r-tAYYzE-kpKtop-nNjjP2-uekDR6-nLPRVx-kpMcq9-uov51Q-v9hpaK-oTN33H-kpJHTv-o4iu1g-uKTtSD-oTPgRG-oNHSMb-pHtgbU-tSph4c-sVrDuX-tWT9cZ-sVfQ2S-jqKCZ3-thhQkY

Inside Climate News. (2020). Species on the move: Snow leopard.

https://insideclimatenews.org/species/mammals/snow-leopards

Inskip, C., Fahad, Z., Tully, R., Roberts, T., & MacMillan, D. (2014). Understanding carnivore

killing behaviour: Exploring the motivations for tiger killing in the Sundarbans, Bangladesh. Elsevier: Biological Conservation,. (180), 42-50. 10.1016/jbiocon.2014.09.028

Ripple, W.J., Estes, J.A., Beschta, R.L., Wilmers, C.C., Ritchie, E.G., Hebblewhite, M., Berger, J.,

Elmhagen, B., Letnic, M., Nelson, M.P., Schmitz, O.J., Smith, D.W., Wallach, A.D., Wirsing, A.J., 2014. Status and ecological effects of the world’s largest carnivores. Science 343, 1241484. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/ science.1241484.

Save Wild Tigers. (2020). Tiger Facts. https://www.savewildtigers.org/facts/tiger-facts

Snow Leopard Trust. (2020). The threats: The snow leopard is under threat.

https://www.snowleopard.org/the-threats/

Struzik, E. (2017). Firestorm: how wildfire will shape our future. Washington DC, District

of Columbia: Island Press.

World Wildlife Fund. (2020). Species: Tiger. https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/tiger

World Wildlife Fund. (2020). Threats: Effects of climate change.

https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/effects-of-climate-change#:~:text=Impacts,-%C2%A9%20USGS.gov&text=Humans%20and%20wild%20animals%20face,on%20people%20livelihoods%20and%20communities